ORANGE — The hilly neighborhoods, the North Main Street church and the Millers River are all familiar sights to residents of the “Friendly Town,” but next week, the familiar will turn frightening.
Orange residents have been eagerly awaiting the premiere of Hulu’s series “Castle Rock” since filming wrapped up in January. They’ve seen the actors, the film crews and the sets, and on Wednesday, July 25, they will get to see the finished product at community screenings in Orange and Fitchburg.
The suspense series set in Stephen King’s fictional town, Castle Rock, will debut its first three episodes on Hulu — a subscription video-on-demand service. Two first-come-first-serve community viewing parties will be held at Witty’s Funeral Home at 158 South Main St.
The first viewing party at Witty’s will be at 3 p.m. for Orange residents aged 55 and older only. The second will be at 7 p.m. for Orange residents aged 18 and up. Both screenings are free, but only 80 people will be allowed in due to space constraints, and no food can be brought in.
“I think it’s a great thing for the community,” said Selectboard member Tom Smith, who is planning to attend one of the screenings at Witty’s. “I kind of wanted it to stay close to home.”
Another free screening will take place at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School at 1050 Westminster St. in Fitchburg at 5:30 p.m. for ages 18 and up. To reserve a spot at the Fitchburg screening, residents should email a request to mafilminfo@gmail.com and include their name and any guests they would like to bring.
“Castle Rock” is based on numerous written works by Stephen King. The town, Castle Rock, is featured in the author’s novels “Cujo,” “The Dead Zone,” “The Dark Half” and other novels, novellas and short stories.
Starring Sissy Spacek, Melanie Lynskey and André Holland, the show will be 10 episodes long and will feature characters and places familiar to Stephen King fans, including Shawshank, a fictional prison in the novella “Rita Heyworth and the Shawkshank Redemption.”
But whether they are already Stephen King fans or not, Orange residents have expressed excitement over the show and the spotlight it will shine on the town.
All four members of the Selectboard, for example, have said they hope the show comes back to film for a second season — which is not yet confirmed — and that the town could benefit economically from the production.
Businesses in town seem to agree, with the Pizza Factory changing its awning to read “Castle Rock Pizza Factory,” and Trail Head Outfitters and General Store selling a variety of “Castle Rock”-themed goods.
“We have coffee, beans, balloons, shirts, hats, postcards, mugs and even jigsaw puzzles,” said Paul Anderson, Trail Head’s co-owner.
Anderson said people have frequently come into the store solely to buy the “Castle Rock” products, including a T-shirt designed by local artist Siiri Paton.
The T-shirt is inspired by past photos of trains and buildings in Orange, which Paton then depicted in a pen-and-ink drawing before adding color, the words “Castle Rock, Massachusetts” in a spooky font and printing on different colored shirts.
“I don’t know if there even is a train in the show,” Anderson said with a laugh. “But it looks like it should be (in the show).”
Anderson said the local hype around “Castle Rock” isn’t just that it’s set in the Stephen King world or made with famous actors and producers like “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams. Rather, the locals are excited that their town is getting some recognition.
One of the show’s location managers, Joseph Stargensky, recalled the production team saying, “This is Castle Rock right here,” when they found Orange, and one producer, Robin Sweet, has called the town a “lovely” location in which to shoot.
And it seems the show’s production team wants to make a lasting impression on the town too. This year, the crew has donated twice to Orange — $3,500 to the fire department and $10,000 for the beautification of the town’s cemeteries.
“It’s all about the town,” Anderson said. “It’s fun. It’s just fun.”
Reach David McLellan at dmclellan@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 268.